Winter Smiles

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

And do not return there, But water the earth"

"And make it bring forth and bud,

That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater."

"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

[Isaiah 55:10 -11]

Blogging Birthday!

This month has flown by with each of my blog posts seemingly a couple days behind! But, nonetheless, its better late than never! [smile]

Sunday was our blog-birthday! Little did we realize only four years ago what a blessing this blog would be to our family. For through this blog we have met so many of you readers, made many more dear friends, received invaluable prayer support and encouragement, and now have a consistent record of the Lord's hand at work in our lives.

How fun it is to peek back in our archives to see how much the younger children have grown. How many special memories! How many prayers have been answered, joys have been shared, and family changes have happened. And through it all we see the Lord's faithfulness anew each day. We dearly hope this is the golden thread that weaves its way through this blog. It's not about us. It's all about HIM! And we so enjoy the opportunity to share in this small way.

So to celebrate this, our annual blogging birthday, would you leave us a comment to let us know you stop by?! It's really quite painless and lots of fun. I'll start...

Rachel

Nebraska

I discovered your blog by...well, okay, so I WRITE the blog!! ;)

See?! Now it's your turn...

Christmas Pictures

Christmas has been celebrated for almost a full week this year -- interspersed with a wedding and extended dates in Branson, Missouri. But as Bethany and Dan were with us for some of the festivities, she captured a few pictures to share. (Yes, I really don't know what I'm going to do without her once the honeymoon is over, we say our goodbyes, and they head for Virginia!)

With all the changes, schedules, and adjustments, this has been a very different Christmas than in years past. Almost all our family's beloved Christmas traditions had to take the 'back-burner' for practicality sake. But more than ever, we rejoiced in the Lord's goodness, the gift of family, and treasuring the simple things of life.

We actually celebrated our family Christmas on December 23rd, as the newlyweds gave us a delightful surprise -- they took a day out of their honeymoon to surprise us and spend a whole day together!! We had such fun!

Daddy reading the Christmas story

Smiles!

A family tradition: the youngest member of the family gets to pass out the presents!

Notice Mom's creativity -- she helped the younger ones make a 'paper-tree' and ornaments for our one night at a Branson condo!

Sisters!

The sweet newlyweds

Swimming

As most everything in Branson was closed down around Christmas, we enjoyed an afternoon in a friend's swimming pool.

Swimming with Daddy

And yes! Kori visited us from Florida for a week around the wedding and for some of our Christmas festivities. Our family continues to grow and we are so thankful for each one!

"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of

great joy

which will be to all people.

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior,

who is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:10-11

Mr. & Mrs. Dan Beasley

What great things God has done! We're still smiling with the priceless memories of last Saturday. Has it already been a week since the wedding?!

Dan and Bethany's photographer did a fantastic job capturing their special day and we were thrilled to see a preview of several pictures already. Click here to view them on his website!

"I will be glad and rejoice in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High."

Psalm 9:2

Praise God from Whom...

...all blessings flow!!

Saturday was a day of joy, beauty, encouragement and blessing. We were overwhelmed with the Lord's evident hand of blessing on each aspect of Dan and Bethany's wedding!!

And now we, too, are eagerly waiting and watching for more pictures so I can do an official update! While we did capture a few good pictures on Bethany's camera, it was whisked off to the honeymoon with the newlyweds, so we're left without any pictures to share!! *sigh* Thankfully, Megan posted a sweet picture, and we're hoping for more in the near future!

As for the rest of our family, we're already back in Branson for the remainder of the month, sharing the Christmas show daily until December 30th. We're looking forward to what the Lord has ahead, missing Bethany, but oh, SO happy for them both!!! We covet your prayers for a strong finish here in Branson!!

"Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart;

for consider what great things He has done for you."

1 Samuel 2:24

Christmas Concert....

...in Seward, Nebraska! For those of you who haven't been able to make the trip to Branson but would enjoy an evening of music, family fun, and rejoicing in this season, we're bringing our Christmas show to Seward!

Sponsored by the Seward Chamber of Commerce, we're looking forward to sharing this special evening in our hometown community. It'll also be a 'reunion' concert as Josiah and Abi join us -- as we treasure our last performance with Bethany before the wedding on Saturday.

So bring your friends and join us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

Seward Highschool Auditorium

532 Northern Heights Drive

Tuesday, December 15th

7:30 PM

NOTE: This is a ticketed event. Please contact the Chamber at #402-643-4189 for advance tickets. Tickets are also available at the door.

New CD!

It's here! And just in time for Christmas!

Last week a package arrived at the Branson theater and we tore into it with great excitement -- the new CD had arrived!

We were so blessed to work with the Bright Lights ministry this summer to record this CD. It contains many of the uplifting worship songs they use during their conferences. With the addition of the Malley girls' skilled harp playing, this project has been an answer to prayer from the beginning. We're excited with the completed product and pray it is a blessing to many!

For those of you who are curious about the recording process, you can view a fun video on the Bright Light's blog.

To order this CD, visit our store!

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,

teaching and admonishing one another

in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,

singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Colossians 3:16